Another week, another podcast episode, folks. How are you doing?

Hopefully things are going all right for you.

But if they're not, I hope at least you can find different perspectives.

Because that's what I want to talk about today.

Reframing.

Quick story for you.

A couple of weeks ago, my mum needed to go for a blood test. Now, she can't walk. She's in a wheelchair. So it was me taking her. My sister works full time. She's got contracted hours, but I've got more flexibility. So off we went. And bless us, she kept apologising. She kept saying things like, I'm sorry you had to take

time off work for this. I had to stop her and say, mum, I don't have to take time off work. I get to.

I get the chance to spend some time with you. I get the chance to move my work around because I'm self-employed.

I've got the privilege of being able to work at 8 o'clock at night if I want to, because that's when I'm recording this.

And instantly, the energy shifted.

She smiled, she relaxed.

And so did I.

Because what could so easily have been framed as an interruption became a gift.

And that's what reframing does.

It doesn't change the situation, but it changes the way we see it.

Saying, I have to, that's heavy. That primes us to feel burdened, resentful, even

stressed. But I get to invites gratitude. It reminds us of the privilege behind the task.

Now, it's important to say that reframing is not about faking positivity. We're shifting our focus,

adjusting the lens on a camera. The garden's the same, but if you zoom in on the weeds,

it's going to look scruffy, zoom in on the flowers, and it looks beautiful. And we can reframe anything.

Think about housework. I have to do the washing. Well, that's a drag. But I get to have clean clothes. That's lighter. It can even maybe help you to feel grateful. Like work, if someone says on a Friday night what you're up to tomorrow and you say, I have to go to work, that's going to feel heavy.

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